LA Love
by marnie2598
Summary: A Criminal Minds love triangle! Lila/Reid/JJ Love is in the air ;)
1. A Case

"Hey, JJ," the brilliant doctor said walking through her office door. "What are you doing here so late on a Saturday night?" It was already 11PM and the rest of the team had left hours ago.

"I should ask you the same thing," she said looking up from the stacks of folders on her desk.

"I was just finishing up some paperwork from the last case. How 'bout you?"

She grunted as she slumped back in her chair, holding an open file in her hands like a book. "There is this case in LA. The lead detective has invited, well more begged, for us to come help him. They have three dead, and one missing. I've been trying to figure out the pattern, if there even is one, and I just can't seem to see any connection between the victims. One black male, late forties; a hispanic woman, 27; a caucasian teen; and now a missing 67 year old male who was living in a retirement community. The victimology and MO of each are different, and I can't tell if it is the same guy, or just a sudden spike of crime in the area. I don't know if we should take it, but then if it is the same person, and he continues killing..."

Spencer walked over and put one hand on her shoulder, and the other reaching for the case file. "Let me take a look."

"Go ahead. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will find something I'm not."

It took him less than two minutes to go over and examine the file's contents, although he was able to see the connection almost immediately after looking at the crime scene photos, he thought that his ability to come to a conclusion so swiftly might make her feel bad. After indulging in aimlessly over examining the pictures, he explained his theory to her, "You see the knife marks on the first body? They are all diagonal, and create almost a criss-cross pattern across the torso. Then then bullet wounds from the second victim are angled so that they go across the body in the same manner. Then with the teenager, the accelerant is pour carefully so that the flames leave a burn of a similar pattern. I'd say your looking at the same unsub."

She stared at him blankly. "How did the aliens ever let you go? You'd be a real asset on Mars."

"Well where I come from, there are plenty of me. They sent me here to educate you and your inadequate species."

"Inadequate?"

He smiled, for he knew he had won.

Instead of laughing or shaking her head, like he was expecting her to, she held his gaze, her smile slowly fading as she dove deeper into her thoughts.

After a few moments, her lips curled at the sides once more.

"You really are from another planet, Spencer."


	2. A Text

An hour and a half later, they were all loading the jet. They had decided that with a set time between victims, and one still missing, it was best to get going as soon as possible.

As they took off, Spencer looked at his best friend across the aisle. She was sitting, still going over the case file.

He couldn't help thinking about what she had said in her office. Or more, when she hadn't said anything. She was his best friend in the world, and they were very close and sent a lot of time together and were comfortable around each other, but he had never seen her look at him quite like that. Did it mean something? If so, what? Should he say something?

No. It was probably nothing. Maybe she was just tired.

Before his thoughts consumed him completely, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, indicating he had been sent a text message.

It was from Lila Archer.

_Hey SPENCE! I just saw on the news that the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit had been called in to assist on a case in LA! Does that mean you will be here soon? I would love to see you again! 3 Lila _

Wow. That was fast. Guess news moved faster on the west coast. He had thought about calling her the past few times a case had brought them to California, but had always decided against it. Mostly because he was scared. But this time she wanted to see him. _She _asked _him_. He had to take the opportunity.

_Yeah, actually I am flying there right now. If you are available, I would love to meet up with you! _

He smiled as he relaxed back into his seat, expecting it would be a few minutes before she would respond. Only, it was less than thirty seconds later that his screen lit up with another text.

_YAY! When do you land? I can pick you up at the airport! _

_Taking into consideration wind speeds and the local weather, we should be landing around 6am. _

He hadn't even set his phone down when her reply came in.

_Perfect! Can I pick you up and take you out to breakfast? My treat! _

Hmmm... He probably should be getting to the hotel to go over the case as soon as they land. Then again, he could work on victimology and the profile on the plane, and be back in time to meet with the detectives at 8am as planned. Plus, he really did want to see her, and he never let himself be naughty. Still, he should check with his team first, in case they needed him for anything else.

"Hey, Hotch? Would it be okay if I met you guys at the police department at 8?"

"Why? What are you planning to do?" the superior agent looked him up and down, very confused.

"Umm... well..." He should have expected this was coming and come up with an excuse. He was no good at lying on the spot to his teammates. They could always see right through him. Knowing this, he decided he might as well tell them the truth so they don't blow it out of proportion as if it were a big scandal. "Well... Lila asked me if she could take me to breakfast. You know, just to catch up."

He thought he saw JJ flinch when he said her name, but before he could think anything of it, Morgan chimed in.

"_The_ Lila? The gorgeous blonde actress you kissed in the pool, Lila?"

JJ responded for him before he could answer. "Is there another Lila that would get Reid to leave a case for breakfast?" Her voice seemed bitter, almost, acidic.

No one had a reply to that, rather Garcia broke them free of the awkward moment when her face popped up on the laptop.

"Hey cats and kittens! How are my furry friends doing?"

Rossi filled her in before Morgan could come up with a witty response. "The kid was just asking if he could meet up with us later. Lila invited him to breakfast." His mustache made his smile look that much bigger on his face, and Reid looked down at his hands, trying to appear inconspicuous.

"AWWW! Our little boy is growing up! Ditching class to fool around with the cheerleader! I'm so proud." She was making fake sobs and dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"Very funny," he said. "And I haven't actually been given permission yet..." he said looking back over to Hotch.

"Yes, it's fine. Just make sure you are back in time to brief the detectives on the profile. We need to get it out as soon as we can if we want to bring the missing person home alive."

JJ scoffed at him. What was with her today? She was acting so cold.

Deciding not to let her bad attitude bring him down, he focussed back on Hotch. "I will. Thank you."

Then he picked up his phone and texted Lila.

_I'm in! See you soon! 3 Spencer _


	3. A Thought

He got up from his seat when he finished submitting a written preliminary profile to Hotch for review. He felt like he needed to give the team something even if he was only leaving them for a little bit.

He walked over to sit down next to JJ. She sat at the far left table, book in her hand. He felt like something was bothering her. He didn't like it when she was upset. He wanted to see if he could make her feel better.

"Hey, Jayje. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure. Go ahead." Her voice still sounded agitated.

"Okay. Well, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is everything okay with you?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Spence," she said with a flat tone.

"Well, I'm not profiling you or anything, but something seems to be troubling you. Ever since I asked if I could meet up with you guys later. Are you mad that I am leaving?"

"No. I don't care if you wanna go off and have breakfast at a fancy cafe with a beautiful actress. That's your choice. And I understand it's hard to turn down. I really do. You should go have fun. So, Spencer, I'm fine."

He was taken aback by the iciness in her voice, and that he may be the cause of it.

Still, he felt that now might not be a good time to talk about it. She wasn't exactly in a chatty mood. So he renunciated his concern for the time being, and walked back over to his seat next to Morgan at the opposite table.

He knew Morgan knew something was up, and began the questioning as soon he settled in his seat.

"What's up with you and JJ?"

"I don't know. She's been acting really weird ever since I asked if I could go to breakfast with Lila."

He sensed Derek knew something he didn't from the expression of understanding mixed with pity. What did he know that Spencer wasn't aware of?

"What?"

"Man, you don't see it?"

"See what?!"

"Come on, you're a profiler! You must notice something."

He shook his head, confused.

"You really don't see it do you? For years, every time you leave the room, as hard as she tries to hide it, she watches you. Whenever you go to her office, as soon as your back is turned she is smiling. She blushes every time you say good morning to her, which you do every morning!"

"So... what?"

"Man, if you still don't know, I'm not telling you. If you can't figure it out, then you're not worth it. But, I think you are. Try and think."

He slipped his headphones back over his ears and rest his head against the chair.

Worth it? Worth what?

He was racking his brain trying to figure out what Morgan was trying to tell him. What couldn't he see? What was right in front of him that he was missing?

His thoughts were interrupted, once again, by his phone buzzing. Another text from Lila.

_Just got to the airport! I'll see you in a few! _

He looked down at his watch. 5:50am. He looked out the window and saw the clouds receding from the view, clearing the sky to see the pacific ocean, and the sandy beaches below.

As the plane made it's final descent, he decided that while he was with Lila, he would forget about his worries with JJ. He only had a little time and he didn't want to waste it thinking about things that would still be there when she was gone. With that thought, he spent the last 5 minutes of the flight thinking about Lila, who was only a few minutes away from embracing him in her arms.


	4. A Kiss

**Thank you to all the people who have already read my story! I hope you guys like this next chapter! **

**Read, ****_Review,_**** Enjoy!**

* * *

As he grabbed his bag, and walked out of the terminal, he couldn't be more excited.

He had barely stepped through the entrance to the airport when she caught his eye. She was standing not 20ft away from him. She was wearing a simple, white blouse, with a dark-brown leather jacket over. She had on acid washed, ripped jeans, and tan lace-up boots that ended just below her knee. She looked perfect. When she finally saw him standing there, he was still staring at her. She smiled as she ran over to him. He walked quickly towards her, and finally found her in his arms, hugging her tightly around the waist.

When she finally pulled back to look at his face, he knew he was blushing. She didn't seem to care, though.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hi, Lila. It's- uh- it's good to see you!" he said through smiling lips.

"Good to see you, too. So, you ready for some breakfast?!"

"Absolutely!"

As they started to turn to walk, she doubled back around to face him one more time.

"Okay, wait. First, there is something I have wanted to do since you left, and I'm worried that if I don't do it now, I won't get the opportunity again. So..."

Before he could ask what it was, she took his face between her hands, and brought her lips to meet his. Spencer wasn't even startled. He had wanted to kiss her since he left, as well. Instead, he pulled her closer to him. Her kiss grew more hungry by the second, and he responded with the same intensity. He wished he could have her forever, and never let this feeling slip through his fingers like he had the last time.

After a minute, he ran out of air, apparently as did Lila, for they both pulled back at the same time.

Realizing that they were still in public, they both laughed and tried not to meet the eyes of the strangers staring at them. He did well in ignoring them, but it wasn't as easy when Lila started fidgeting, and looking uncomfortable. He was confused. She was fine with the random attention, or as fine as she could be, before. What was making her so uncomfortable all of the sudden.

The blood drained from his face as he heard multiple pairs of footsteps coming up behind him.

He had completely forgotten everything the minute he saw Lila... including that his entire team was not far behind him.


	5. A Hand

Morgan's hand clamped down on his shoulder sent a wave of terror through his body.

"Hey kid. Looks like you're all set. I guess we will see you back at the police department, then." Before turning to leave, he looked over at Lila and said, "Good to see you again, Miss Archer. Take care of our boy while we're gone."

"Thanks, Morgan, really," he said.

They stood there and watched as everyone passed, including JJ. Her face looked as if it had just been stabbed in the back by a ghost. He didn't like seeing her so upset. He wished he could do something about it...

"Sorry about them..."

"It's fine," she said giggling.

"Well, then are you ready to go?!"

"Yep! Follow me!" she said taking his hand in hers.

As they walked through the busy airport, he kept an eye out for anyone on his team, just in case.

When they finally made it out, they walked to the parking structure to get her car.

"So, where are we going exactly?" he said closing the passenger side door.

"Just a little diner around the corner. Figured it'd be nice to have a quite place to talk."

"Sounds perfect," taking her free hand in his.

She leaned over to give him a quick kiss, before pulling out into the busy LA traffic.


	6. A Morning

They pulled into the diner parking lot. It was an old fashion, early twentieth century looking diner. It wasn't all new and spotless. It was real. Reid liked that.

They walked through the door, and a brass bell above their head rang to signal the waitress of their arrival. She quickly let them to a booth by the window. They slid in as the waitress asked what they'd like to drink. They both ordered coffee, Reid specifically asking if there were free refills. She then left to give them a chance to decide on what to eat.

"So. What has been going on with Spencer Reid? Give me the full scoop," she said with a big smile.

"Mmm... Not that much. Cases. Serial killers. Stalkers. The usual."

"'Usual'. Funny."

"Hey, if it weren't, I would never have met you."

This caused a big smile to form across her face. "Good point."

Then the waitress came to take their order, and soon their food was there. Spencer sat thinking while eating his eggs. He wanted to talk to her about their relationship, but didn't know how to start or what to say. He decided he should just go for it and see what happens.

* * *

JJ walked through the entrance of their motel, still trying to keep her head down from the rest of the team.

How was it that he was the one running around in Los Angeles with his girlfriend while she was moping around a four star motel?

She hated feeling like this; sorry for herself. Feeling alone. Wanting someone to comfort her. Wanting him.

Why did she want him?! Was he really worth of this? It'd certainly be easier to just let him go, and to not care. But she couldn't do that, and she knew it.

Still, she wasn't going to sit around feeling sorry for herself. There was still a lot to do on the case before they met with the local police. At least it was something to distract her.

* * *

"Hey, Lila," he said looking up from his plate. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Spence."

"Where do you see us going...?" He was examining her face trying to read what she was thinking.

"Like _us_? I don't know. I know I like you, and I wanna see you more, but we live on opposite sides of the country. Then again... okay I know it may be crazy, but I have been considering maybe a long-distance relationship, and we could visit on our days off... what do you think?

What did he think? He didn't like long distance relationships, but he did like Lila, and what if this was the only way for him to be with her at the moment? He wanted to say yes... but instead he said, "I'll think about it."

* * *

**sorry for such short chapters you guys! It's just the way my mind works this is how it turns out... hope you like it!**


	7. A Question

"I had fun. More than I've had in a long time," he said as they walked back out into the parking lot.

"I'm glad. I did too," she said with a big smile, confirming to him that she meant it. "Do you think we'll be able to do it again before you leave?"

"I hope so. I haven't gotten _nearly_ enough of you, yet."

"Oh, really?" she said with a smile matching her mischievous tone.

He smiled as he held her face, bringing her close enough for a kiss.

"Really," he said as he pecked her face once again. "But unfortunately for now, I have to go catch a murderer."

"Okay, I guess if we want to do this again, you probably need to catch a serial killer first."

* * *

"Hey! How's our little Romeo? Did you get yourself some—" Spencer gave a quick jab in Morgan's ribcage before he could finish his sentence. He didn't need everyone in the police station to know about his personal escapades, especially at the very beginning of a case.

"Ooo, hit a nerve, did we?" Emily looked over at him with a sly smile.

"No, I just think we should be focusing on the case."

"Oh, no. You're not getting off that easily. We are still waiting for the lead detective on the case to get back from showing Hotch the crime scene. You have about ten more minutes to give us all the dirty details," Morgan said pretending to look at his watch.

"Spill. Now," he heard Garcia say over the laptop in front of Morgan. He turned the screen to face Reid.

Oh great. Another one.

"Okay, well actually she asked me something, and I told her I would think about it, but I'm not sure if I should and I wanted your guys opinion before I respond."

Just then JJ came into the conference room and sat at the end of the table.

The three of them, excluding Reid, immediately dropped the subject they had just a second ago been so adamant about discussing.

Reid, still oblivious to the cause of the sudden change in attitude from his colleges, turned to JJ.

"Morning, Jayje! How was your morning?"

"Fine," she said not looking up from the brown folder in front of her.

"Is everything o—" but before he could finish his question, Morgan took his arm, dragging him into the hallway outside the small conference room.

"What?" Reid was even more disoriented by his friend's wavering emotions.

"You have got to be kidding me. You still don't see it?"

"See what?"

"Okay, look. I was hoping you would figure this out for yourself, but apparently that's not going to happen, and you can't go on not knowing, because every time you open your mouth without realizing what's happening, you hurt her. So here it is. Reid. JJ has been in love with you for as long as I can remember."


	8. A Choice

Reid looked at Morgan standing in front of him. It was all he could do. He was shocked.

"She—she's in love with me?"

"Yeah, man. She is."

"But—but—but why?"

Morgan looked as if he was about to slap him upside the head.

"Who cares why, right now, man? 'Cause right now your best friend is in that room, heartbroken because she knows how much you care about Lila, and how much she cares about you. Imagine if it was the opposite. If you were in love with her and she had no idea, and you had to watch her fall head over heels for another man, and know there was nothing you could do about it, because if you did you would risk losing everything else you had with her?"

He let the words sink in for a minute, before responding, "So what do I do now?"

"I don't know, man. That depends. How do you feel about that woman in there?"

He had never really thought about JJ, not in that way, not really. He had always just figured there was no chance, no point in viewing her in any other way than a friend. She wasn't just his friend, she was his best friend; his best friend in the world. She was beautiful, and smart, and knew what he was thinking before he did, and could make him feel better after the worst cases. She had always been there for him. Always. Maybe he did like her… could he? Could he even love her?

"If—if I did like her. If I do like her, what would I do?"

"Honestly, if I were you, I'd go to her right now and tell her. But, before you do, you have to think about everything it means. If you really feel that way about her. If you are prepared to be in a relationship. If you are willing to give up Lila."

Lila.

"Lila?"

"Yep. You have to give her up for good if you are going to make this work. Otherwise, you will just hurt her more."

Giving up Lila. He remember the way he felt when she kissed him. The way his stomach fluttered when she was near. How even her presence could brighten his day. Then he thought about JJ. She had always been there for him. She was always the one to make him feel better, who lifted him up when the rest of the world was pulling him down. The way her blonde curls bounced around her ivory cheeks when she walked. How peaceful she looked when she slept on the jet after a long case. How he knew she would give her life for him. How she would do anything for him, how he would do anything for her…

"Will you ask her to come out here?"


	9. A Confession

"Hey, Reid. Morgan said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah. Um, let's go over here," he said leading her into another office. He closed the door behind him.

"Reid, come on, what is it? I really need to look over the files some more before the briefing."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just, really need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, shoot."

He tried to dry his hands on his sweater without hinting that his palms were sweating.

"Okay… okay," he cleared his throat. "You and I have been through so much together and, I know how you feel about Lila and me,"

Her cheeks began to turn a deep pink, and she crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable.

"And I am sorry I haven't made it any easier, but—"

She interrupted him before he could finish his thought, "It's okay, Spence. You don't have to say it. I understand." She turned to walk for the door.

"Wait, you didn't let me finish. But, I've decided, she may not be what's best for me, right now. She is great, and I do like her a lot, but we live different lives."

JJ's face lifted as he began to explain.

"She can't… understand me like you can—like you do, Jayje. She's not—she's not you. And, I'm sorry I didn't realize that until n—"

She stepped forwards into his arms, cutting him off. She pulled his head down to hers, and gently kissed his lips. He stood there stunned, but quickly grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her lips were soft against his, moving in perfect coupling with his.

He pulled back to whisper I her ear, "I love you, JJ."

She laughed, brightening up her tear streaked face.

"I love you, too, Spencer."


End file.
